The present invention relates to holding devices and assemblies for electronic clinical thermometers.
Clinical thermometers are thermometers of relatively high accuracy which are used in medical diagnosis and research. Such thermometers should be capable of measuring physiological temperatures with an accuracy of about 0.1° C., over an expected temperature range of about 34° C. to 42° C. In practice, the actual temperature range may be broader or narrower.
In the past, most clinical thermometers contained mercury as a thermometric fluid. However, mercury is quite toxic, and is rapidly being phased out. Thermometers of Galinstan®, a liquid metal alloy of gallium, indium, and tin, have been available for several years now. However, these thermometers tend to be relatively expensive, and like mercury thermometers, can be readily broken. Unlike mercury thermometers, however, thermometers employing Galinstan® thermometric fluid are non-toxic, and thus their use is steadily increasing.
Digital clinical thermometers have several advantages over classical liquid-filled thermometers, including easy reading, the ability to maintain a given reading for an extended time, and rapid and unambiguous reset. However, digital clinical thermometers have required a battery which results in several drawbacks. First, the battery must be regularly replaced, and the thermometer cannot be used if a replacement battery is not available. Second, the disposal of batteries, even the more common zinc/manganese dioxide batteries, raises environmental concerns with regard to land filling with transition metal-containing waste.
Digital thermometers employing solar cells have been used to monitor swimming pool temperatures. However, such devices are only operable in the light and require a large surface area solar cell. Thermometers having a battery have additionally employed a solar cell to minimise the drain on the battery. However, such devices cannot operate on the solar cell alone, and the battery must still be replaced.
Solar-powered digital clinical thermometers which allow for repeated temperature measurements, even in the dark, and which do not contain an environmentally unfriendly battery, can be stored in various locations. However, in order to recharge when solar energy is available, the thermometer needs to be held in a position suitable to receive solar energy.